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Multitasking teens may be muddling their brains
Doing several things at once can feel so productive. But scientists say switching rapidly between tasks can actually slow us down.
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Top 50 Mobile Tools to Set Up Your Portable Office
This article has compiled a list of 50 of the best web based and mobile device tools for productivity on the go. Use these tools, and you'll be able to work wherever and whenever you need to. This article has compiled a list of 50 of the best web based and mobile device tools for productivity on the go. Use these tools, and ... more
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Dramatic Spike in Sickdays Caused by Downturn: "can't come in today, I&#...
The credit crunch is proving bad for our physical as well as our financial well-being.
Companies are recording a dramatic leap in the number of workers off sick.
Personnel experts say constant worries over jobs, family finances and the global economy have weakened immune systems and led to flu and gastrointestinal complaints.
They also blame rising food prices for contributing to the mass sickness epidemic as cash-strapped shoppers switch to cheap food rather than more healthy fruit and veg.
Latest figures from leading absence management company FirstCare suggest more than 380,000 people are ringing in sick every day after being struck down by either flu-like symptoms or stomach problems.
Aaron Ross, managing director of FirstCare, said: 'The credit crunch is beginning to impact on our health and productivity.
'We have seen a steady growth in sickness rates over the last 10 days, and they have been going up and up for a while.
'We have not seen anything like this before, it is very, very unusual. We occasionally see a spike in absence related to a single event, which rapidly goes down, but this has not, and there is no indication it will do.'
FirstCare records absences and excuses given for employees of scores of companies including Coca Cola, British Gas and Britain's biggest employer, the NHS.
It says in the last 10 days the number of people phoning in sick with flu-like complaints has almost doubled, and those with gastrointestinal problems - like ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - have risen by a third.
Mr Ross said: 'This represents a significant loss of working time. We would expect to see seasonal trends of approximately 308 out of every 100,000 employees absent for flu like symptoms, but this has shot up to 585.
'For gastrointestinal problems, the average of 524 absentees per 100,000 staff has risen to a record level of 697.
'Stress has also gone through the roof in the last two months. Now people are feeling it in their pocket, they are worrying about their own jobs.'
Mapped across Britain's workforce, the figures suggest around 175,000 a day are calling in sick with flu-like symptoms, and more than 205,000 staying at home with gastrointestinal problems.
Mr Ross said: 'Such significant increases will no doubt have an effect on productivity, as well as putting strain on other staff. It is a nightmare for businesses who may be struggling in the current climate to lose employees.
'It is particularly interesting that we have seen a simultaneous increase in these two ailments as they are both linked to the immune system.
'Given the current economic climate, employees feel uncertain about the future, and this stress has an adverse effect on the immune system, making us more susceptible to coughs, colds, flu and gastrointestinal complaints.
'Our immune systems are also taking a hit as a result of the high cost of fresh fruit and vegetables. As employees feel the pinch at the checkout, fresh produce is increasingly substituted for less nutritious budget options.'
Mr Ross said the company first noticed the steady increase in illnesses surge after the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank.
He added: 'I think in the last 10 days the public have been made more aware of the sense of crisis in the financial system.
'After Lehman Brothers collapsed, with thousands of people threatened with the loss of their jobs, people started worrying about their own jobs.
'And those who are off sick may feel they are more likely to lose their jobs if redundancies have to be made, which can make them worse - there is a perpetual circle.' The credit crunch is proving bad for our physical as well as our financial well-being. ... more -
Increase your productivity by using 2 monitors
How would you like to increase your office productivity by as much as 50%?
Add a second monitor to your computer setup. Once you do, you'll never go back to using only one monitor again.
For example, you can open a document or presentation on one monitor and use the other to conduct research on the Web. Or, see your e-mail arrive as you work. Photo editors really benefit from having an image open on one monitor and the tool bars in full view on the second monitor. Video editing suddenly becomes almost as easy as the TV commercials promise. How would you like to increase your office productivity by as much as 50%? ... more -
'Infomania' worse than marijuana
"Workers distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers, new research has claimed.
The study for computing firm Hewlett Packard warned of a rise in "infomania", with people becoming addicted to email and text messages.
Researchers found 62% of people checked work messages at home or on holiday.
The firm said new technology can help productivity, but users must learn to switch computers and phones off.
Losing sleep
The study, carried out at the Institute of Psychiatry, found excessive use of technology reduced workers' intelligence.
Those distracted by incoming email and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ - more than twice that found in studies of the impact of smoking marijuana, said researchers.
More than half of the 1,100 respondents said they always responded to an email "immediately" or as soon as possible, with 21% admitting they would interrupt a meeting to do so.
The University of London psychologist who carried out the study, Dr Glenn Wilson, told the Daily Mail that unchecked infomania could reduce workers' mental sharpness.
Those who are constantly breaking away from tasks to react to email or text messages suffer similar effects on the mind as losing a night's sleep, he said." -UK BBC NEWS "Workers distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers, new research ha... more -
France's compulsory 35-hour week is no more!
French workers were in mourning yesterday for their cherished but controversial 35-hour week, after Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right party pushed through an employment reform that effectively kills off one of the socialist era's defining policies.
The law, due to come into effect as early as August, will allow companies to decide how many hours and how much overtime their employees clock up every week. Instead of the current maximum of 218 days a year, white-collar workers could be expected to work as many as 235 days.
Sarkozy, who was elected last year with the campaign slogan "work more to earn more", regards the 35-hour week as a major drag on the French economy, arguing that those who want to work more should not be stopped from doing so.
Xavier Bertrand, the employment minister, said yesterday that the vote was a step on France's road to modernisation. "We wanted to put an end to the rigidity of the job market," he told French radio. "Before, you had a situation where employees who wanted to work more couldn't, and they couldn't earn more."
But the law was greeted with scepticism by unions and leftwing politicians, who voted against what one described as a project that would "inevitably lead to the worsening of employees' working conditions". Martine Billard, a Green MP, attacked the "vengeful spirit" of Sarkozy's UMP for getting rid of the flagship socialist policy and effectively authorising a working week of 48 hours. "All those social battles have gone up in smoke," she said.
The 35-hour week, brought in 10 years ago by Lionel Jospin's Socialist government, has retained its popularity among most workers, even though in practice many of them often exceed their limit. Supporters say it has created more jobs and allowed them to maintain a better work/life balance than other countries.
Sarkozy, who came to power promising a "rupture" with France's past, has argued the cap on hours hampers productivity. However, aware that many voters see it as an integral part of their lifestyle, he has not abolished the limit altogether. Rather, the measures allow companies to strike deals with unions and employees on a maximum number of working days and overtime. Employers will be able to negotiate a working week of 48 hours, with every hour over 35 counted as overtime.
Unions said smaller companies would be most affected by the changes because it would be easier to make arrangements between their staff and management. "In the big companies, no one wants to renegotiate the 35 hours and reopen Pandora's Box," said Philippe Jaeger of the CFE-CGC union. "But in the small and mid-sized firms, it will be different."
Also voted into law was a reform which aims to lower unemployment by taking away benefits from anyone who refuses two offers of work that the authorities deem "reasonable". French workers were in mourning yesterday for their cherished but controversial 35-hour week, after Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-righ... more -
How to nap
Boston Globe article advocating the refreshing power of a mid-afternoon nap.
Wonder if anyone would mind if I scheduled time in the conference room each day for a lovely nap... Boston Globe article advocating the refreshing power of a mid-afternoon nap. ... more -
A Better Lunch Break
As quoted from Reader's Digest:
"Although the lunch hour was originally designed for just that -- lunch -- today we spend our midday break running errands, pecking away at a computer keyboard, or returning personal phone calls.
When we do actually sit down and eat, it's often to consume whatever comfort food we can scrape together from the company vending machine or cafeteria. Rather than spend the hour stressing over what you still need to accomplish or quickly inhaling fatty, salty, high-calorie foods, consider the following advice."
The article details fifteen ways to improve and make more of the lunch hour. As quoted from Reader's Digest: ... more -
Wasted time vs. productive time on the Internet
How to solve the problem of wastering time on the internet.
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Love Your Job? Doesn't Mean You're Better at it.
The conventional employer wisdom has always been that a happy employee is a more productive employee. Countless dollars are spent every year on initiatives to raise employee morale, create camaraderie in the workplace, and eliminate practices that could lead to a hostile work environment, all so that companies can boost their retention rates and productivity levels.
So is it really a fact that happiness breeds a better worker?
Not necessarily, according to Wright State University psychologist Nathan Bowling.
checkout the link for more info. The conventional employer wisdom has always been that a happy employee is a more productive employee. Countless dollars are spent ever... more -
Working in Groups - Cubicles Survival Guide
Most people work in pairs, yet our workspaces are designed for one. This episode explores some solutions to accommodating more people without giving up space. Most people work in pairs, yet our workspaces are designed for one. This episode explores some solutions to accommodating more people ... more
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Chairs - Cubicles Survival Guide
This weeks Survival Guide episode focuses on chairs, one of the more overlooked elements of office design that is really one of the most important. If you only get one thing from the episode, let it be that no joint is distracted more than five degrees. This weeks Survival Guide episode focuses on chairs, one of the more overlooked elements of office design that is really one of the m... more
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The Hipster PDA
From the original site:
The Hipster PDA (Parietal Disgorgement Aid) is a fully extensible system for coordinating incoming and outgoing data for any aspect of your life and work. It scales brilliantly, degrades gracefully, supports optional categories and beaming, and is configurable to an unlimited number of options. Best of all, the Hipster PDA fits into your hip pocket and costs practically nothing to purchase and maintain. Lets make one together.
Building your first Hipster PDA
1. get a bunch of 3"x5" file cards (heres 500 for around 3 bucks)
2. clip them together with a binder clip
3. there is no step 3 From the original site: ... more -
Accomplish More By Doing Less
The 'Einstein Principle' is very simple. It basically states that we are most productive when we have fewer projects to devote more of our time on. Common sense, right?
This way of thinking, if practiced, leads to some interesting results that most definitely increase productivity. If all your attention is spread over less projects, those projects will benefit.
Cal Newport at StudyHacks takes this principle and adapts it to real life so we're not just purging projects left, right and center.
It involves separating projects into professional, extracurricular, and personal categories [or the like] and marking important projects with stars while removing those that you could leave to rot with no consequence. The 'Einstein Principle' is very simple. It basically states that we are most productive when we have fewer projects to devo... more -
Don't break the chain!
Pretty awesome productivity tip from none other than Jerry Seinfeld
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My kingdom for some silence...
Handy gadget - people were waaay advanced backk then...
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